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IGDA to investigate LA Noire's Team Bondi

The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) is planning to investigate allegations that employees of Team Bondi were overworked during the development of LA Noire.

The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) is planning to investigate allegations that employees of Team Bondi were overworked during the development of LA Noire. In addition to omitting staff from the end credits of the game, various developers have told IGN that 100+ hour working weeks weren't uncommon, and that studio manager Brendan McNamara was difficult to work with. "It's one thing for him to be angry behind closed doors, but it was incredibly common for him to scream at whoever was pissing him off in the middle of the office," one developer recounted.

These forceful accusations are at the heart of the IGDA's new investigation. “Reports of 12-hour a day, lengthy crunch time, if true, are absolutely unacceptable and harmful to the individuals involved, the final product, and the industry as a whole,” Brian Robbins, chair of the IGDA Board of Directors, told Develop. “We encourage any Team Bondi employee and/or family member to email qol@igda.org with comments about the recent past and current situation - positive or negative”

Unfortunately, while LA Noire has received particular attention with regards to the problem of overworking in the games industry, others note that the practice is commonplace. "This is the norm. I've seen artists who put in a mere 9-10 hour day called slackers," one commenter noted on the Develop column.

L.A. Noire launched for the Xbox 360 and PS3 on May 16. A PC version is planned for this fall from developer Rockstar Leeds. For more on the game, make sure to read the Shacknews review.